Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
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Stark700
 Posts: 11762 Location: Earth |
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A bit of mixed thoughts on this one. I think adapting a manga with over 150+ chapters into a 1 cour (12 episodes) series just isn't going to work. The first episode already cramps quite a bit in it as well. I think the series does capture the comedy aspect and personalities of the main leads well so far though.
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kimizuki
Posts: 5 |
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I totally agree about the 12 episode thing, it feels like they're almost testing the waters unnecessarily by giving it so few after the whole manga animated pv/ova campaign. They have way more than enough source material, and a good ending point about 80-90 chapters (where the manga itself seemingly changes) that would definitely require more episodes to get everything in.
However, the manga really is amazing, and as a long term fan of the series, the first episode really reflected the genius and humor of the series well! I'm really excited to see where the adaption will go from here, and hopefully they'll figure out that they can sell more than 12 episodes. |
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Kuroko the Best Stalker
 Posts: 39 Location: In your wet dreams, baby ❤ |
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Hetero kiss, yaoi kiss, yuri kiss...This anime doesn't discriminate.
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Maize Hughes
Posts: 81 |
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I have a good feeling about this one. Nicely done so far, so good, in fact, that I'll forgo reading the manga until after the series is over.
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Hameyadea
 Posts: 3679 |
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Episode #1:
The blue-haired male lead is busy leading a delinquent life. Coming late for class, going early from class (as long as he isn't sleeping during class) and get into fights with other students. (And one can assume that his grades are in the gutter as well.) So far, the much-coveted Relaxed & Easy school life that Yamada Ryū had hoped for isn't here. What he does find, however, is trouble, and a lot of it. After another lecture in the Teachers' Lounge, Ryū is angry not only at that he was lectured, but that the school's A-student Shiraishi Urara - who came to the Lounge, unintentionally during Ryū's lecture, to deliver some papers - was used by the teacher as The Example You Should Mimic. An act that just says to Ryū "please bully me". After a small slip-up (literally) in the stairway Ryū wakes up in the school's infirmary, but something is amiss... He bacame Urara! The plot of Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo is a light-hearted comedy on the notion of magical-body-swap and of school-life. And being a comedy show, your mileage may vary. For me, the comedic parts were nice and some were giggle-worthy, but that's about it. On the flip side, the show's more dramatic moments - like when Ryū (in Urara's body) experiencing some of the bullying she has to deal with on a daily basis or when the Student Council Vice-President Miyamura Toranosuke finds out that he knows about the body-swapping - managed to carry more weight behind them. For a comedy-centric show, being not-so-funny and pretty competent with the more emotionally-charged moments doesn't bode too well for my continued viewing. The animation of the show is, in a word, shiny. It would seen as if the episode was applied Shine filter airing. It so far manages to work quite well, giving each of the characters a distinct and easy-to-recognize-from-the-mob look. The characters themselves go some changes when the swapping occurs - with "Ryū" transmitting a gentler body language than Ryū, and "Urara" is having a either rougher depiction in "her" neutral state, or overly-cute when "she" tries to use "her" beauty and innocent look on the body. As far as show-openers for the Spring Season go, Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo's hovers at the middle level - mostly due to how well the dramatic scenes were - with just enough going for it, for now, to make me wait another episode to see how it'll perform in Episode #2 before I'll reach a more concrete decision. |
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HaruhiToy
 Posts: 4118 |
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I have actually been keeping up with the manga on Crunchyroll and I agree that the anime seems way too compressed. On the other hand what they did do I think they did pretty well.
I think the best test for a inter-gender body swap story is rooted in how well the characters develop their new perspectives on their partners. In this case it comes out that Yamada totally misunderstood Shiraishi and her situation. This is emphasized by how his efforts to emulate a girl's personality turn out to be so lame. The other direction we have yet to see but that is consistent with Shiraishi's personality -- very reserved and stoic. It was fun to see her show interest in the two guys kissing. So on this score this anime is pretty high and that will keep me watching. |
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zensunni
 Posts: 1291 |
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The episode does cover a fairly large number of dead trees, going all the way to the end of chapter 6 of the manga. It also skips a character building, but otherwise disposable section of the manga. spoiler[It is about why Urara put on her future plans survey that she wasn't going to college. It is Miyamura's hook that he uses to get Yamada to help him in the manga, claiming that he needs to get her to switch that to improve his chances of being named the next student council president, hiding his real reason for his interest, which is the body swapping power and ... other things ... ]
Frankly, that aspect of Urara's personality is pretty well covered by the anime so that little bit of character building is not really necessary. The good news about the pacing is, if they keep it up, the 12 episodes will cover a respectable percentage of the manga. The down side? Well, at 6 chapters per episode, it would land smack dab in the middle of the "first climax" of the manga. In order to get to the resolution of that arc, it would need to make it to chapter 90. Granted, I think there are probably several minor story arcs that can be skipped wholesale without harming the story as a whole, so I think they will probably make it. Incidentally, for those of you who have read and have access to the manga on Crunchyroll or ... elsewhere ... I suggest you look at the end of chapter 72, which would be the end of 12 episodes at 6 chapters per. In a real sense, if the 2nd season had already been announced, that would be a GREAT stopping point! Total cliffhanger moment: SEE YOU NEXT SEASON! (Or maybe finish up the first part with a movie that would be a must-see for fans of the series? Or an OVA?) The ideal is that this is a multi-season anime and they just are waiting to confirm that the popularity is as strong as they expect before announcing the next season. If that is the case, I would hope for a more subdued pace, with the first season ending at an earlier, and more gut wrenching, cliffhanger: Chapter 66! |
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One-Eye
 Posts: 2261 |
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Its not brain science, but I am having fun with this show. I haven't read the manga as others here have, but the pace feels pretty fast so I hope it doesn't trip over itself and manage to get to a decent stopping point. I had read the mangaka's previous Yanki-kun to Megane-chan which if I recall started out fun, but ended up becoming repetitive and drawn out forcing me to drop it.
I wasn't sure if I was up to another high school comedy lately, but the first two episodes kept me entertained and I'm interested to see if they can keep it going for the rest of the season. |
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zensunni
Posts: 1291 |
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Episode 2: Very good take on the show, and the manga from whence it sprang. It is a very smart, dumb comedy. I had the advantage, and disadvantage, of discovering this series when Crunchyroll picked up the manga as part of its original set when they launched the service. It was one of the few that had the entire back catelog available early on, so I was able to read from the beginning without the wait from week to week and never went through what I expect the anime viewers who are new to the story are going through: the "Where are these 7 witches?" phase. They will show up soon enough... But at this point, aren't viewers who haven't read the manga wondering that? They haven't even told us who one of the witches are, let alone the seven? It is an interesting way to start the series...
I am really enjoying the anime so far. I think the pacing is great. They multi-body-swap scene was significantly different from the manga, but totally fun! (However, the actual bit of story that was skipped in order to streamline it is one that I will miss if they don't do it. A significant bit of character development for both Urara and Yamada, and a part where they grow closer as well... sigh.) This episode only burnt through four chapters. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11339 |
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Episode 3
So far I'm liking this so much more than I would ever have thought. While the reviewer's complaint about subtlety was legitimate, it seems to me like they're at least not spelling everything out in the dialog. I liked that they let the images speak instead of the characters regarding how Yamada finally understood what Shiraishi's problem with college was. Anime so often creates "drama" by having the characters refuse to communicate by talking to each other, but here's a refreshing case of them understanding each other perfectly without saying much of anything. This isn't a brilliant series, but it's nice comfort food, which was the last thing I expected from its synopsis. 
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HaruhiToy
Posts: 4118 |
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Nothing Yamada does is subtle -- I would rather they tone his character down a bit more than I would have them stop tuning the sets to the mood. Speaking of rainbows, that one was impossible. You can't see a rainbow looking into the sun -- you can only see it facing directly away from the sun, in the direction of your shadow. |
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Xavi_
 Posts: 61 Location: Spain |
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So far I am looooooving the anime adaptation. I've been a fan of the manga for a couple years, and both the (2013?) live drama and this anime are extremely loyal to it! Miki Yoshikawa better be happy, they are spoiling her franchise big time.
Though I still think they are trying to cram too much plot into a single chapter... too much stuff is happening in too little tiiime; I barely have time to drool all over my keyboard. Then again, the plot is so shallow that slowing down might not be the best idea. And don't complain about the raaaaain! How do you think that Urara caught a cold? Doing the Ice bucket challenge? 
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11339 |
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Episode 4
That's not how I read that scene at all. They said they were disappointed that he broke the spell because it left them with a sense of loss and exhaustion. If they were disgusted, it doesn't seem like they'd want him to reinstate the spell or say it could be addictive. Ito wonders why he "looks" so cool, as if feeling the hangover effects, in a befuddled but still pleasant way. Maybe the tense is a translation error or typo though? I admit it would probably make more sense if she said "looked." Anyway, this series continues to surprise and delight me. And yes, the yakisoba sketch was genius. |
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Clarste
Posts: 426 |
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Yeah, that's the way I read it too. Being in love just made them happier, and made the world seem like a brighter place. So losing it made them feel depressed. Basically a drug. |
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vonPeterhof
Posts: 729 |
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